The Important Step You'll Want To Take Right After Painting Your Garage

Whether you're planning on putting your house for sale in the immediate future or not, renovating and painting your garage door can seriously skyrocket your house's curb appeal. Even if it's for your enjoyment and not a new owner, a fresh coat enlivens the environment; it feels energizing every time you pull up to your home. Because of the nooks and crannies of garage doors, the variety of materials from which they're made, and the condition they might be in, your prep will need to include a series of detailed steps. The one step that could get overlooked but that you don't want to skip is this — leave your garage door open right after painting it.

There's considerable effort involved in painting a garage door, so you don't want to ruin all that hard work by leaving the door down while it dries. The planning stage is important in any project, from choosing the right type and color of paint to avoiding costly mistakes. 

As you research, prep, and select your materials, review the steps you'll likely need to take for this project. Make sure you switch the garage door to manual operation. If the existing paint is chipped, it's a good idea to sand the garage door first, then power wash it. Make sure there's a tarp on the ground and painter's tape covering any areas you don't want painted. You'll want to get the right UV-resistant exterior paint that has rust protection, and we recommend a satin finish.  Paint the garage door, let it set for just a few minutes, then open it all the way up and allow it to dry completely from that position.

The reason? If it dries in the down position and you try to open it without first running a knife along the edges, you can literally yank the garage door out of its opener. That's an avoidable nightmare. Instead of being obligated to break the seal of the paint with a knife, dry it in the up position.